Most people feel perplexed when it comes to striking a balance between their personal and professional lives. The entire process relies on an individual’s goal setting and time management game. If one knows what they want in life, and how to manage time in a way that it catalyses the process of achieving what they want, the next steps of maintaining the perfect work life balance become easier. It is because you’re focused, more organized and better prepared in dealing with stress and other challenges.
I strongly believe that goals are the fuel that drive your ambition and teach you to pursue your dreams. Read this blog on the importance of work-life balance to understand why you need to create a balance before I go on to ‘how’.
Having a definite set of goals not only allows you to manage your time efficiently but also helps you to prioritize your work in such a way that you meet your targets. And when you learn to prioritise, you will find that maintaining work-life balance becomes easier.
Now although the term work–life balance is widely employed, an agreed definition of this term has proved elusive. So what really is work-life balance?
In your professional life, you obviously ought to dedicate time to your work, building skills and qualities that support your career development, networking and learning. In your personal life, you have to spare time for yourself, your family, friends and your hobbies. You also need to devote time to society. Like, how do you plan to give back to the community? – Because after all, we’re all social creatures. I strongly believe in the value system and believe it is the root of our tree of life. Let me give you an example here – children learn from us and as a mother, I have the power to inculcate kindness and show them the joy of giving.
I often get them to participate in a clothes collection drive where my children and their friends put together a package of pre-loved clothes that can be used by kids at an orphanage. This act allows them to feel compassion and the sheer happiness that comes from giving. Now things like these can take a lot of time (learning how to manage time is more important than you can imagine), energy and effort from you and certainly but it’s well worth it. And it’s much stronger and impactful than any textbooks.
So once you have the roots in place – like holding on to values such as empathy, compassion, being truthful, helpful, respectful and kind, you can start building your goals and targets in all the different spheres of life. And it is target-setting that will teach you how to manage time effectively and eventually enable you to strike a balance between your work and personal life.
To begin, rate the various aspects of your life in order of importance and then chalk out a plan on how to manage time in accordance with that so you can give a little of yourself to every fragment of your life. Here are some time management tips that, according to me, are highly effective and can teach you how to manage time successfully.
- Start each day with a plan: Spend the first 30 minutes of each day, determining how you will spend the rest of it. Make a to-do list on your phone or use the old-fashioned pen and paper list. Your plan should prioritize action items and estimate how long each item will take you.
- Shut out the distractions: One hugely problematic result of 24/7 connectivity is the constant receptivity to distractions. Perhaps you’re finally getting somewhere on that report you’ve been putting off. But then you receive a Facebook notification, and, oh look, somebody’s friending you! Many of us have come to believe that by blocking these distractions we are missing out on something important. That is rarely the case. Whatever you’re missing will be waiting for you when your work assignments are finished.
- Make note of where your time is going: Do you have any idea how much of your day is spent on tea/coffee breaks? Now that we’re all working from home, we have the liberty to indulge in a quick nap or a longer-than-usual coffee break. Keep track of all the unimportant activities you do during the time meant for more important things and strike t
- Learn to delegate: If you want to have a life beyond work, don’t insist on doing everything yourself. With time, I’ve come to realize that a lot of us hate letting go of control. Maybe we believe that if we want something done right, we have to do it ourselves. But guide your subordinates and learn the art of delegation. Delegating takes getting used to but it has many advantages for managers and their employees alike. Remember that delegation is not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of leadership.
You must know that none of what I’m saying is easy. We are slaves of habits, and easily fall back into the usual routine that keeps us feeling overwhelmed. But it is ever so important to take time off to slot all the different important aspects of your life because that goes a great way in helping with creating the right work life balance.
If you have been scuffling with setting the right goals, managing your time and maintaining work-life balance, or are facing any other issues that you believe may be hindering your growth, visit my website to book a coaching session with me. The session will offer you guidance on how to break vocational barriers and grow exponentially on the professional front.